PLYMOUTH, Mich. — Keith Tkachuk is standing in the corner of USA Hockey Arena behind the seats and looking down at the ice with a bit of an envious glance at the parents scattered throughout the stands.

On the ice are the best 2002-born hockey players in the country, 48 in all were invited to the evaluation camp this week. In a few years, Michigan fans may know the name Antonio Stranges or Michigan State fans the name Carter Mazur, but, in this moment, they’re a bunch of kids desperately trying to make a good impression on scouts and USA Hockey staff.

Tkachuk sent two kids through the program — Matthew Tkachuk is a budding star in the NHL; Brady Tkachuk is expected to be a top-five pick — and he’s already a bit sentimental about the whole thing.

“I can’t believe how quickly this is done,” Keith Tkachuk told The Athletic while watching. “I miss it. I told [the parents], ‘I’m jealous.’ It was so much fun watching the kids go through...